Suddenly I can’t drink alcohol

I developed an allergy in peri, despite having enjoyed Prosecco for years. I don’t miss it or the hangovers.

Yes! It’s weight loss injections for me too. One of the best side effects. I don’t like wine anyway but would have a G&T most nights and now really dislike the taste and the effects.
Now just have a cold beer occasionally.

I can't drink wine, either. I'm 54 and am sooooo sick for a couple of days after having a glass or two. I'm okay with vodka though 😆

Have you been sick recently? I had a virus about 20 years ago, mainly just really bad cold symptoms, but it seemed to have a dramatic impact on my tastebuds. Put me off proper chippy chips and Branston Pickle, amoung other things. I eventually got my taste for chips back (about 3 years later) but I haven’t liked Branston since (and I used to love it).

I’m 42 and haven’t had a drink in two years. Even half a glass would make me feel like shit the next day. Honestly though? I love not drinking and enjoy life far more without a carcinogenic poison in it! Plus perimenopause is way easier without booze.

Can be a consequence of catching COVID.

As it could be a reaction to sulphites you could try organic or some very expensive wine? I’ve not been able to even drink it since quite young - makes my jaw hurt, and feels weird as it goes down my throat and beyond! However, my parents were wine fans and had expensive ones, which when I tried a small amount to understand the difference actually didn’t cause these issues - though it would be awful to waste it on a wine heathen like me so didn’t have more.
I can however still drink white spirits with white mixers with no added weird or horrible effects - though certainly need to sleep more quickly and not as bothered whether I do or not in my late 50s - it’s reduced attractiveness over the decades and occasionally I am disappointed I can’t just go wild but generally guess it’s for the best to reduce chance of falling over!

And my tolerance has gone down across the board. I notice it most with wine as that was my poison of choice but it applies with all alcohol.

I am more likely to have a beer these days because they are lower alcohol and easier to drink.

Sorry that was in response to @Muffsies

I am on HRT yes and I have wondered if this could be a reaction to this, although the lower alcohol tolerance kicked in before I started HRT.

I am not prepared to stop the HRT though: would rather this than alcohol, so have not been able to try a control scenario to see whether its the HRT or something intrinsic to menopause.

Interesting to hear from others.

I think there's more than one reason this can happen, clearly, but i also think it can happen to men, too. Especially the wine thing. I know two men who stopped drinking wine, one who said he went off it (he's about 60), and one who said it started having a bad effect on him (50ish). Both were also quite big drinkers, they stick to ales now but drink far less.

no doubt age etc but I noticed similar and coincidentally had liver bloods done which were a bit raised. Apparently difficulty processing alcohol can be a sign your liver is suffering. I really cut down on booze for a year and when they were repeated they were fine and my reaction to alcohol was “normal” again. I’ve started noticing the hot face, reflux etc start up again and for sure my drinking had crept up over the warm summer. So I’ve ruthlessly cut down again.

@101WaysToFailwas possibly THE big wine drinker. I love it, in theory, but I have had a lifetime of not really feeling any the worse for wear until I got actively wasted and now the after-effects begin almost as I’m drinking it, so it’s just not happening. It’s probably my imagination but I feel like my body is having to work really hard to metabolise it. Possibly my liver has just gone on strike (joking, mostly)

I love wine but have been unable to drink it since my late 30s. It wasn’t sudden. White wine was first then red wine followed. I would have an awful reaction after drinking even half a glass, felt unwell and had sweats. Apparently I became sensitive to a chemical used in the processing of most wine. I can still drink organically produced wines though. It’s likely that I’m intolerant of sulphites. Organic wines though don’t contain them

Same. It’ll be the ol’ cougar puberty. I still get the periodic urge to drink but feel sick and suffer heartburn almost immediately. I can’t believe I used to drink daily, my insides must have been in tatters without me knowing (or caring lol).

Probably just as well. Mounjaro has a risk of pancreatitis. Adds to the risk of you drink alcohol

This thread makes so much sense to me. I simply cannot drink more than 2 drinks over the same amount of months. And no wine, ever. I might as well put my head in a vice the next day, it's the same outcome as one glass of wine. And I used to love wine!!

I really loved a lovely glass of cold wine...not now.😪

This has happened to me I am 48. I spoke to the doctor about it she said it was likely hormones and it was quite common.

Out of interest, are you on hrt? Have you found it's made any difference to your tolerance/dislike of alcohol? And is is all types of alcohol you've gone off, or some more than others?

I’m similar since I started perimenopause. Used to have fairly high tolerance. Now more or less overnight I seem almost allergic to it: if I have more than about one unit I feel it the next day: feel sluggish, paranoid and depressed and unmotivated and my intellectual capacity falls off a cliff to the point where I find it hard to work. It ruins sleep for me now too.

I still drink occasionally and I enjoy the taste of alcohol and the initial sensation but the downside massively outweighs that momentary pleasure. I mainly only do it in order to not offend people or to have to explain why I’m not drinking.

Me too. I'm quite a keen drinker, I enjoy my 3 bottles of beer every Thursday. Love a party with a bar, etc. But with all 3 of my pregnancies I just didn't want it, couldn't drink it, didn't miss it one bit.

Since I've become peri I still have my weekly beer, but sometimes I only have one or two bottles, not 3. I even turn down an after work drink bc I just don't fancy it. I can imagine completely losing interest.. eventually.

Sounds like ageing/menopause.

Long covid stopped it for me - it feels like I’m being poisoned. Given I now feel terribly hungover on a good day it’s an ironic kick in the teeth!

I went alcohol intolerant during perimenopause (started 2017). Really over the top hangovers. I barely drink alcohol now, sometimes I can get away with the odd glass, other times the same glass gives me 24 hours of raging headache and vomiting.

I absolutely bloody loved it when I was younger, but I’ve never had the same buzz from it since I had children. I do sometimes wish I could just experience a fun drunken night out again.